FRACKING BAN FAILS: Loveland Just Says No to Frack Moratorium

Last night, Loveland voted down a proposed two-year moratorium on fracking. As we pointed out yesterday, the Loveland fight was ground zero for the fracking fight nationwide. While fracking bans and moratoriums (essentially bans) passed in far left (Boulder) and center left (Broomfield) areas, Loveland was more neutral ground. This was the firewall in fractivists’ efforts to ban fracking throughout the state.

The winners? In addition to the people of Loveland, who won’t see their economy tanked because of a radical far-left agenda, those who worked against the ban deserve a pat on the back. Congratulations to BJ Nikkel and the Loveland Energy Action Project for a job well done.

But, the outcome did present a few losers last night. Obviously, the fractivists were the big losers, but not for why you think. The world is still waiting for an apology from Phil Doe or the local Food and Water Watch chapter for calling Nikkel a “Nazi” and a “dog”, which Doe denies. He is lying. Read about the entire flap here in The Colorado Observer.

Then, there is the problem with Governor Hickenlooper and Jared Polis, who have been furiously trying to negotiate a compromise on fracking, setbacks and other regulations. The fact that the Loveland fracking ban failed does not bode well for the far left’s attempts to wage war on fracking on the statewide ballot this fall. It would be less likely if Hickenlooper called a special session now that the Loveland win has taken away some of his leverage.

Oh, and then, there’s all the national groups, like the Sierra Club, who thought they could parachute into Colorado and drive out the natural gas industry town by town. We seem to RECALL a time when national groups pulling for an issue or a candidate didn’t work out so well…. But, radical enviros, please feel free to not learn any lessons from the past in Colorado elections.